The National Corn Growers Association’s innovative search for new corn uses, called the Consider Corn Challenge, wrapped up last week, and reports just in show the effort to be a complete success. Initial results show that the group’s first-ever Open Innovation Contest attracted strong interest from the United States and six other countries.
Entrants shared their lab bench-vetted ideas on new ways to convert corn or corn-based products into sustainable chemicals.
“With the productive capacity of the nation’s corn growers continuing to grow, we need to be working hard to find new uses for corn so it can continue to be a positive national resource that makes major contributions to the economy,” said Larry Hoffmann, chair of NCGA’s Corn Productivity and Quality Action Team. “A whopping 35 entries were submitted, surpassing the original success metric set by NCGA, which was 20 entries. We are very happy with the result.”
The contest now moves into the judging phase, and up to six challenge winners will be selected. Entries will be reviewed and ranked, highlighting those with the strongest cases for commercialization and ability to drive increased future corn demand. The winners will be announced and showcased in March during Commodity Classic in Anaheim, California.